Chariot Races
by Aristaeus
Summary: Percabeth.  Percy and Annabeth team up for a special chariot race that goes horribly wrong.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own, in any way, shape, or form Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any of the characters associated with the series. This is just a fictional piece of work written by me for pure entertainment.

This is my first Percabeth fanfic, so I hope everyone enjoys it. I recently finished all of the books and just fell in love with this pairing, so I felt compelled to write a fanfic involving them. Hopefully there will be more to come! Please try not to be too harsh ;)

**Side Note:** This is kind of a "rough draft". I am putting it out here for people to read and leave comments/criticisms. I will probably make edits and post a revamped version later. But for now, please enjoy!

"_Peeeeercy!"_ I could hear Annabeth scream, her voice filled with fear.

"Oh shi—" I was cut off as the chariot I was controlling smashed into a group of trees, sending me smashing and rolling across the ground. I could hear screams and worried yells from the campers as they rushed over to aid me.

Let me start from the beginning, explaining how I exactly got into this predicament.

* * *

"Everyone gather around!" Chiron's voice boomed, all of the campers dropping their current activities to gather around him. "I have a special announcement for everyone. We will be holding a very special chariot event next week…"

"Oooh, a special race! I wonder what will be so special about it..." Travis Stoll whispered to his brother Connor, many of the other campers also mutter amongst themselves about this special race.

"…the winning cabin of this race will receive a very special prize! The cabin that wins will be exempt from all chores for the rest of the summer!" Chiron continued.

The muttering amongst the campers grew louder after Chiron's announcement, many with excited grins on their faces. This was a serious prize.

Annabeth and I caught each other's eyes, a smirk growing across her lips. Normally we teamed up for the chariot races and split the prizes between the Poseidon and Athena cabins. I knew what that smirk meant, too. She was looking forward to a summer free of chores.

* * *

Later that night, Annabeth and I sat together on my bed mulling over ideas for the chariot race. The bed was full of paper, containing ideas and sketches to help us win the advantage and hopefully the race.

"We should fortify defense of the chariot, I'm sure a lot of the other cabins are going to attack relentlessly to take us out.." Annabeth trailed off, sketching defense ideas onto a piece of paper.

"Mhm.." I muttered half paying attention. Don't get me wrong, I really wanted to win that prize. I mean, _really_. But what I wanted more was to spend some time with Annabeth. The camp has a strict rule about guys and girls being alone together, so it was rare for us to have moments like this. Tyson didn't spend as much time at camp anymore, so I was the only one in the Poseidon bunk. Annabeth's cabin was full of her siblings; even though they were fine with our relationship, it felt kind of awkward having them around when I was trying to spend time with Annabeth.

"Oh!" Annabeth suddenly yelled out, which made me jump, and she started scribbling furiously on the paper.

I crawled next to Annabeth, although she was too involved with the chariot to take notice. That didn't bother me though, because I had my ways of getting her attention.

"Hey!" Annabeth yelled in surprise as I grabbed her chariot notes and flung them off the bed, "Percy, what do you think—"Her sentence was cut short as my lips pushed against hers. Anger filled her eyes at first, but quickly changed to a loving gaze as she embraced my kiss.

"That got your attention." I said with a smirk, pulling away from her after a very satisfying moment.

"Sorry, you know I tend to get.. caught up in my work, and I _reeeeaaalllyy_ want that prize.." her voice was soft, her cheeks a little red, still feeling the heat from our kiss.

"Hey, don't worry about it! We kick ass at chariot races!" I pounded my chest, a victorious smile smeared across my face.

Annabeth giggled a little, "I know, but this race is different. We're probably going to be one of the first targets, since we've won so many races."

"I'm not too worried about it." And I really wasn't. I had confidence in our abilities and teamwork.

"I still have so many plans to run over and modifications to sketch though..." Annabeth began to reach down towards her notes, but I grabbed her wrist to stop her, "Hey, Per— Eek!" Before she could finish, I had pulled her into me for another kiss.

"Just forget the chariot races for now. We don't get many moments like this to be together." I bargained with her.

Annabeth paused for a moment, pushed a strand of her golden hair behind her ears, "You can be _so _insufferable sometimes, Seaweed Brain!"

"Hey, sorry, I was just trying to—"but she was the one who cut me off this time. My body fell back against the bed as she pushed me down and crawled on top of me. "Uh..." was all I could get out of my mouth. Annabeth wasn't usually this forceful, but I wasn't complaining.

"Seaweed brain..." she said with a sensual purr, bending down to embrace me in what had to be one of the best kisses we had to date.

* * *

The next week seemed to fly by. Annabeth and I spent most of our nights curled up in my bed. After the first night, she made me promise to let her work on the chariot and to help her out before we got romantic. And usually when Annabeth makes me promise something, it's in my best interest to just nod and keep my promise.

"Preparations ready?" Annabeth asked as I finished strapping the horses onto the chariot.

I nodded, giving the horses a pat on the head then walked back to the chariot to join Annabeth, "The race should be starting soon..."

Just as I finished speaking, Chiron's voice boomed, "All cabins please bring your chariots to the starting line!"

"Here we go." I squeezed her hand then climbed onto the chariot with her. "We got this!"

"Of course we do." Annabeth said with a confident smirk, then steered the chariot up to the starting line.

I looked over at all the other cabin's chariots. The camp had been pretty dead the past week, most of the cabins spent their free time in secret adding modifications. Most of the cabins must have shared Annabeth's idea, because they looked a little more beefed up with defensive modifications. Only Ares' and Hephaestus' cabins didn't look as beefed up defensively. I'm sure the Ares cabin is going for all out offense, that seemed more their way.

"Whoa…" I muttered, catching a glimpse of the automaton horses Hephaestus' cabin was using to pull their chariot. These had to be at least twice the size of a normal horse, "… that does not look legal."

Jake Mason and an unknown Hephaestus cabin member smirked at us, and I turned to look at Annabeth, "Don't worry, Percy. " The confident smile of hers still spread across her face.

No one else seemed real worried about the giant automaton horses, but I had a sinking feeling in my gut.

"Riders ready!" Chiron's voice broke my concentration, and I readied myself to defend our chariot. "Go!"

As soon as Chiron said the word, all of the chariots sprinted forward. The Ares, Hephaestus, and Artemis' cabins broke into a three way lead, with Annabeth and myself trailing behind.

"CRAP" Travis and Connor Stoll both yelled in unison.

In front of the Hermes' cabin and behind our chariot, the Apollo and Aphrodite cabins had collided and caused a large mass of intertwined chariots on the field, which Travis and Connor Stoll were heading right into.

_Whizz_

A spear flew right past my head, bringing my attention back to the race. As soon as I turned my attention back, I heard a crash behind us; a crash telling me that the Hermes cabin just ran into the crashed Apollo and Aphrodite chariots.

"Percy, pay attention!" Annabeth's voice yelled, another spear flying past us.

The Hephaestus cabin was in the lead, with the Ares cabin behind, then our cabin. Holes were opening on the sides of the Hephaestus cabin's horses and launching spears at the Ares chariot and our chariot.

"I guess that's why the horses are so big, to hide extra weapons!" I yelled, parrying a spear with my sword as it came close to the chariot.

"Yeah, but it makes them slower!"

"Slower? Haven't you noticed, they're in the lead!"

"Look!" Annabeth pointed.

Ahead of us, coming around the first major turn, the Hephaestus cabin slowed down. The horses were too big; they couldn't take the turn too fast in risk of crashing. Going around the turn so slow gave the Ares cabin time to pass the Hephaestus cabin, and us time to catch up. As soon as the track straightened out though, the Hephaestus cabin shot out in front of us and passed the Ares cabin within seconds.

"Whoa! They may be slow around turns, but they're too fast on the straight aways!" I yelled to Annabeth, who was starting to look irritated.

"Ahhhhhhh!" I could hear Clarisse, leader of the Ares cabin, yell ahead of us. The skeletal horses pulling the Ares cabin shot flames from their eyes, and the Ares chariot sped up next to the Hephaestus cabin. Clarisse stabbed at Jake, who was driving, but he dodged the spear. Unfortunately, to do this he temporarily let go of the reins, which caused the Hephaestus chariot to smash into the Ares chariot.

Clarisse spear, a special battle spear with an electric tip, stabbed into one of the automaton horses pulling the Hephaestus cabin. Luckily the Hephaestus cabin didn't have any metal on their reins, so they didn't receive any shock. The horse that was stabbed, however, began to malfunction. Smoke poured out of the stab wound, and the automaton horse caused the chariot to careen into the Ares' chariot. The Ares chariot smashed into the guard railing, causing a wheel to break loose. Fortunately, Clarisse was able to stop the chariot before it received any more damage.

"This isn't good!" I yelled, watching the automaton horses move all over the track.

By this time, Jake Mason and his cabin mate had abandoned their chariot. It was a good thing they did, too. From the horses moving so sporadically across the track, the chariot flipped over and started dragging along its side.

"Oh no…" I could hear Annabeth mutter, definitely afraid.

"Pull up next to them!" I yelled at Annabeth. We had to find a way to stop those horses before they got off the track and destroyed the camp.

"But…" Annabeth was clearly worried. She was probably afraid the automatons would take us out before we could do anything, the way they were moving around the track.

"Just do it, I have a plan!" I did have a plan, but it was stupid and extremely reckless, which I'm sure Annabeth sensed. She knew me and my plans far too well.

"You better have a damn good plan!" she glared at me, pulling up next to the Hephaestus cabin's chariot.

"Hey, it's me. Of course I have a good plan. Don't I always?" I smirked, then jumped from our chariot onto the flipped over chariot. Now, if you've ever been surfing.. It's nothing like this. It must have been my intuition taking over, because I have no idea how I made it from the chariot to the top of the automaton horse.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. She had fallen behind the chariot to avoid the Hephaestus chariot from knocking into our chariot.

"I got this!" I yelled, bouncing on top of the metal horse. My plan was to cut the rein loose and separate the broken horse from the working horse, but as always my plans never go as I intend.

The next big turn had approached, and the working horse tried to slow down and turn, but the broken horse just kept running at full speed. This caused both the horses to flip over and crash through the barrier and start skidding across the ground. It also caused me to go flying through the air.

And this is where we left off.

* * *

I was probably the best person for this to happen to, as odd as that sounds. Because of a nice little dip I took in the River Styx, I was invulnerable aside from a small portion of back opposite my navel. Being invulnerable doesn't stop you from feeling pain though, and my gods did this hurt. I remember hitting the ground, rolling and skidding a few times, then crashing face first into a tree. Then I remember hearing Annabeth scream my name, completely terrified.

"Percy… _PERCY!_" Annabeth sobbed, holding me in her arms.

"Ugh... huh, what?" I sat up, rubbing the back of my head. Looking around at all the campers gathered around me. Then I looked down, Annabeth's face pushed into my chest. I could feel her sobs, "Hey…" I said softly, wrapping my arms around her.

"I told you he'd be okay." Travis Stoll said, shrugging his shoulders. "The guy's damn near impossible to kill."

_Sniff, sniff._

Annabeth still sobbed into my chest, but I could feel them slowing down. She then looked up at me, her eyes red and her hair falling into her face, "I…" she sobbed a little more, "I… know you're invulnerable, but…" she brushed her hair out of her face, her eyes gazing straight into mine, "I-I, my logical side. I just saw you flying through the air and… it looked so horrible…" she sobbed a little more, hugging me tightly, "Then… when I got over here, you were motionless. I… I thought…" she began sobbing again.

I held her tightly again, "I'm sorry I worried you."

I heard some sobs from the crowd, and realized the Aphrodite cabin was sobbing, "They're like… totally an awesome couple." One of the cabin girls spoke out, the girl next to her nodding.

"Okay guys, hey, everyone break it up!" A voice yelled from the back of the crowd. Then a familiar face popped through, standing next to Annabeth and myself. "Give these two some space! " Grover waived his hands, trying to shoo the crowd away from us.

"Yes, yes. We need to get this mess cleaned up and start repairing the damages to the track." Chiron appeared next to Grover, and with his appearance the camper's started to break away.

Grover and Chiron glanced over at me. I mouthed "Thank you" and they both gave me a smile then walked away to help the rest of the campers.

Then it was just Annabeth and I. She had stopped sobbing, but kept her head rested against my chest.

"Hey Percy…" she said softly.

"Yeah?" I looked down at her, meeting her eyes.

"I'm glad you're safe…" she nuzzled into my chest even more and I smiled happily.

"You aren't going to get rid of me that easily." I grazed my hand against her face, lifting her chin so she was looking up at me again. As I stared down at her, I felt a tight feeling in my chest and realized I could stare into those eyes forever.

"Percy… I… I love you." Annabeth said, her eyes locked with mine. Her face was flushed a deep red, and I'm pretty sure mine was too.

"I love you too."

We spent the rest of the day curled up together in each other's arms, and I realized there's nowhere else I would rather be.


End file.
